Could Hyde be a 1st Rounder?

Alright guys this is my first blog post on elevenwarriors so I'm pretty excited. Carlos Hyde has been a favorite of mine the last year and a half and I was wondering what the consensus was on his draft stock. I know RBs don't often go in the first round unless they are really something special, but Hyde is very consistent in those short yardage situations. He's shown he can break, bruise, and dodge tackles fighting for every yard. From what I can see he blocks pretty well and today we also saw that he has some pretty soft hands when need be.

I'll admit I don't always understand how the NFL evaluates and sizes up Running Back prospects, and I know many say we haven't played against a SEC level defense, but Hyde was absolutely unstoppable tonight, even when everyone knew the ball was going to him. If not for the suspension, I'm fairly certain now that Hyde would have broken a thousand yards this season. I think the kid has real talent but I wanted if I'm just looking through scarlet colored glasses. After tonight's spectacular performance, does anyone think that a team might take a shot at El Guapo in the first round?

Comments

Maybe in a different era of the NFL. You'd have to be an AP type of guy to get drafted high now a days. He'll play on Sundays for sure. It all depends on his combine numbers, but I'd assume he'll go around the mid to late 3rd round and be a great grinding back for a contending team.

You're first shot at a blog post was almost as sure a thing as giving El Guapo the rock in the final minutes of a close game. Money in the bank.
I'm not an NFL or college coach, but Holy Toledo, if there is a better running back in college football right now, I sure as Hell don't know who that would be.
The NFL is a passing league. How else could you explain the Cleveland Browns trading a 1st round pick, Trent Richardson?

I'll admit I don't really have an eye where I can see the disparities in talent when it comes to running backs. I get in the NFL today RBs are just not as valuable as they once were. I'm just wondering what kind of performance and numbers would a RB have to put up to become a first round prospect?

Maybe Lache Seastrunk? I don't know, but I wouldn't mind having Hyde on my team, especially given that you won't have to spend a first rounder on him. I think he could jump into the 2nd round depending on how he finishes the season, because I think he's going to show up to the combine and take some people by surprise with how fast he actually is to go along with all the strength and size. I continue to be impressed with how nimble he is on his feet at that size.

Beanie Wells was taken near the end of the first round ... and Beanie Wells is one of many reasons why drafting running backs early has gone out of style.
I'd say Hyde is a better prospect than Herron, so that argues for him maybe being a third-round pick?

Yeah, most talk I've seen of Hyde is around the 3rd-4th round, which I could see.

People sometimes forget just how hard it is to be a high NFL draft pick; I mean, guys like John Hankins and John Simon go in the 2nd and 4th round. Supposedly Hyde tests well running in shorts so he'll probably do pretty well at the combine, but he doesn't really show that supposed 4.45 speed on the field. There's no way he goes in the first IMO, but he's an absolute beast regardless and I think he'll be a solid pro for sure.

I would hate to scout RB's for the NFL though. That's why you see so many good RB's that went late in the draft / were undrafted; there's so many different factors to consider with them (style of offense, offensive line play, vision / physical ability) that you never know what you're going to get.

If he keeps turning in production like last night anything is possible.

He's big, durable, has speed, can catch and block adequately.

Ohio State has had the good fortune of some talented folks at the quarterback position over the last decade. I expect Brax to rebound after an average game (by his standards), but it was nice to see a running back carry (in every sense of the word) this team.

As a Browns fan, I would take Hyde in the 2nd or 3rd. That's the new 1st round for RBs in todays league. Hyde has shown us that he can catch the ball out of the backfield which will help his draft stock more than the rushing stats. Like stated above, you have to be AP level to be taken so highly anymore.

I agree with the others, since so few RBs are take early, I doubt he would go first round. But his power and size looks like it will pan out in the pros, unlike a lot of the smaller shifty guys. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him in the top 3 RBs taken in the draft

Browns need a QB, WR, and CB before running back. I'd take him in the 3rd rd with either of their 2 picks in that round, but regardless of how good he is, the TR trade shows you the value of RB's just isn't that high anymore.

I love El Guapo and think he is the best back we have had since Clarett, but the only running back that might be taken in the 1st round this year is Yeldon. Hyde will be a steal though in the 2nd round. Surprising speed with the ability to put a team on his back with power running. Also is good at pass protection which will help his stock

Yeldon is good, but not THAT good. Just because you play at Bama doesn't make you worthy of a 1st round selection. Guapo has about 145 less yards and 1 less TD than Yeldon. Oh and I don't know if you noticed but he played in 3 less games against opponents he would have absolutely RACKED up yards against. No RB as of right now is worth a 1st round selection but there will be one taken at the end of the first round that no one saw coming. If Hyde can carry the load and run OSU to a National Title, it could be him.

"I've had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven't run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can't outwork you, then smarts aren't going to do them much good." - Woody Hayes

Don't follow the NFL much (although just finished watching some of the Dallas / Broncos game, man, what an exciting shootout) but I have been telling people I think Hyde will play in the NFL, too strong and explosive not to. Will he go in the first round ... one of 32 players right ... probably not, but who knows, maybe he will go on an historic tear from this point on. Really happy for the kid.

The will to win is not as important as the will to prepare to win. -- Woody Hayes

I agree with what seems to be the consensus, 3rd round at earliest.
I wonder that nobody's mentioned the elephant in the room yet. I wonder if the incident from this off-season will impact his draft status. I imagine it won't. Teams will talk about making sure there is no negative influence to their brand, to their fan-base. indescretions

Where did Chris Perry from UM end up getting drafted? It want to think the Bengals took him in the second?. He and Hyde remind me of each other in terms of their ability to carry the load, although I think Hyde might be quicker on his feet.

Perry was a late 1st rounder, 2nd RB taken (after Stephen Jackson), but Perry was always more of a change of pace back to me in the NFL, he weighed in at the combine at like 220, giving up around 20 pounds to Hyde.
That was also almost 10 years ago though, RBs have lost a lot of draft value since then.

Hyde's draft stock will hinge upon his combine numbers. I could see anywhere from late 1st to 5th. A lot of stock is put into numbers right now. He's shown high pick talent, now it just depends if he can turn out high pick measurables.

If Hyde got drafted by my Niners, I would jump around and scream like a little sissy girl. I really think he would have his work cut out for him, we have about 6 RB's on the roster right now lol. He could be that next great power back though. After watching the video of him after the Northwestern game, I have so much respect for him, I think he is going to run for days and carry this team far.

"I've had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven't run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can't outwork you, then smarts aren't going to do them much good." - Woody Hayes

I agree with the third round, but could be higher depending on supply and demand. Obviously the Browns will be in the market, maybe Atlanta... S-Jax has been injured most of the season and not getting any younger. Other possibilities include: Jacksonville - MJD not looking like he used to, Texans - if they can not retain Tate from free agency, Giants - enough said, or Arizona?